Followers of Skyrim
by Kira Evangeline
Summary: Several one-shots I'll be posting occasionally based on my experiences in the game that I find amusing. Chapter names will tell you the character/content. Will feature two or more of my Skyrim characters as the focus.
1. Inigo-Valtheim Towers

**AN: Okay, so this is going to be a bunch of one-shots based on experiences I have in Skyrim that I find amusing. It's not meant to be a serious story, or stories, or whatever, and it's not going to be based off of vanilla Skyrim. I don't even know how often I'll write these, but, eh, we'll see!  
**

**This chapter is based off of an experience with a follower from a mod I downloaded. Inigo the Brave!**

**Enjoy!**

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"What is this place?" Ariel looked up from the map, following her companion's indigo-furred finger to look forward at a pair of towers down the road. She stopped moving, her eyes searching her map frantically for their location.

"Looks like…Valtheim Towers?"

"Have you been here, before?" Ariel shrugged, earning a sigh from her Khajiit friend, Inigo.

"I took a different path when I traveled from Whiterun to Riften. I don't remember passing these towers at any other point," she said quickly, folding the map before slapping it against Inigo's chest. "Take that."

"What is yours, is mine," he said, though she could hear a bit of exasperation in his voice. After all, she _did_ only have her small pack. He already held a few backup armor pieces as well as a bunch of her potions in his.

And now her map.

"I think I see someone up ahead." Ariel squinted, once again envying the Khajiit's enhanced eyesight. "Perhaps they are a bandit?"

"You can't just wander around Skyrim thinking everyone is a bandit, Inigo," Ariel sighed, rolling her eyes at her friend. However, the sight of the woman _was_ a tad bit unnerving. One bandit, she could handle. Two, even. More than that, and she'd have to move _very_ carefully.

"I am sure of this one; almost as much as I am sure there are more in the towers." Ariel nodded absently.

"Well, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt, for now. Inigo, don't engage unless someone approaches." Ignoring the grumble of disappointment beside her, she pushed onward. The day was fairly quiet, and as they approached, Ariel found no calls of warning from the top of the towers, nor did she hear the sounds of arrows. "See? Nothing."

"Not yet." Ariel was about to argue her point, but was cut-off by the sight of the Redguard woman they approached moving into the dirt road, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at them with a raised brow.

"You there! Halt!" She said, just as they drew near.

"Be ready for a fight, my friend." Inigo purred from beside her. She noticed that his hand had settled nicely on the hilt of his glass sword.

"This here is a tax road. You need to pay the tax in order to pass." Ariel scoffed audibly, looking at the woman in disbelief.

"Really? Look, I fell for that in Riften. I won't again. How about you let me pass, and my friend here won't kill you." She responded, her arms crossing over her chest to mimic the girl.

"I'm not afraid of you! Let's go!" Ariel looked over at Inigo, nodding to him with a smirk. Immediately his sword was drawn as he leapt toward the bandit. Ariel turned her eyes from the scene in front of her, unwilling to watch the life leave her eyes. The tell-tale sounds of gurgling left her feeling slightly nauseas, but she couldn't spend much time thinking about it. There were yells from above them, arrows whizzing toward her and her follower. She jumped behind the stone wall, just as an arrow nearly struck her.

"Inigo, time to go! Inigo?"

"Aha!" Ariel watched with a slack jaw as her Khajiit friend ripped open the wooden door, flying up the steps to attack the bandits.

"Inigo, wait! Don't…ugh. Fine!" Ariel unsheathed her ebony dagger, entering the tower to follow her friend. It seemed that no one had been in the first tower, for she followed him up with no signs of bloodshed. However, the moment she stepped outside, there was a different tune being sung. Ariel ducked back inside the door as an arrow flew toward her. She scanned the bridge, watching from afar as Inigo slashed through bandit after bandit.

"You want to turn me into a rug, yes? I will be wiping my feet on your corpse!" Ariel rolled her eyes, looking up at the other tower. One archer. That meant the other arrows were coming from an archer above her. The arrows didn't seem to bother her friend, though, as he killed the last bandit on the bridge and ran forward to take out the archer, laughing as he went.

Dear divines, this male was the one she trusted with her life.

"Inigo, wait!" Ariel ran up the wooden planks that led to the bridge, dodging arrows as she went. A few glanced off her armor, but she was lucky to avoid anything serious as she entered the second tower. The sounds of a panicked yell could be heard just outside, and Ariel ran out to find Inigo closing in on the archer. "Inigo, we have to make it to Whiterun _before_ nightfall." She said sternly, once again turning as Inigo pounced on his target.

Really, he enjoyed killing _far_ too much for her taste. Ariel ran forward to try and catch him and snap him out of his bloodlust, but he ran passed her, leaving her to stare at the bloody body of the archer.

And the large coin purse on her belt.

A small smirk found its way onto her lips. Perhaps this wasn't _too_ much of a waste. Ariel quickly snatched the coin purse, shoving it into her pack as she turned around and ran back into the second tower.

"Inigo!" She ran up the steps to the second level, finding an empty room and no more stairs.

But there _was_ a chest.

Ariel briefly let her mind wander to how her time with thieves had influenced her as she kneeled down in front of the chest, smiling widely as she found it to be unlocked. Gold, gems, and potions were at her disposal, leaving her with a crammed pack at her side.

"Inigo?" Ariel called again, still able to hear his laughter. "Where the hell did he go?" Running back down the stairs, Ariel began to cross the bridge again, trying to look at the surrounding land. Perhaps he had found his way back to the road?

"Whoa!" Ariel fell back as a bloody body landed in front of her, just in front of the bridge entrance.

"You're miserable life is over!"

"Inigo, gods damn you! You almost dropped him on me!" She was yelling up at the top of the tower, though she could not see him. She bent down to pull some arrows from a dead bandits' quiver. They were fine quality elven arrows, leaving her to wonder how he'd gotten them.

"Friend, we must leave now to make it to Whiterun!"

"Yes, Inigo. I'm aware." Ariel huffed, running back into the first tower, where the Khajiit waited for her. She led him out onto the road in silence, irritation present on her features.

"You are okay, my friend?"

"Inigo, what were you thinking? You said you'd listen to me. I didn't want to take that little detour." Ariel looked up at her tall friend to find his shoulders sagged and his ears lowered in shame.

"I apologize. I am trying to stay calm, collected, and focused. It is made harder by my current need to urinate." Ariel froze, her jaw dropping and eyes widening. She looked over at Inigo with a look of complete disbelief before she snapped out of her stunned state.

"Then _go_ urinate!"

"Thank you!" Ariel watched him run back toward the towers for privacy before she turned, bringing her hand up to run through her hair as she shook her head.

Yes, her life.

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**For anyone here from my other Skyrim story, the character in my Skyrim game right now is a light skinned Altmer who I named Ariel to help immerse myself while writing my other story. So it's very loosely based off of our little Snow Elf's character!  
**

**If you're _not_ here from my story...Check it out! It's my only Skyrim story at the moment, highly active, titled The Last Snow Elf!**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know if you enjoyed and want to see more! :)  
**

_Inigo the Brave is a follower mod for Skyrim that can be found of Nexus and Steam. He is fully voiced, and wonderfully so, with plenty of unique and sarcastic comments to keep players entertained. Some may think he's a tad bit overpowered, but that can be easily fixed by removing his powerful weapons from his inventory. Overall, a very nice follower mod! check it out!_


	2. Erik the Slayer-On the Road

**AN: Alright, second installment up and running! Erik the Slayer, everyone!...to be honest, I never went to Rorikstead in my playthrough. The only reason I know about Erik is because I downloaded a mod. Read the notes at the bottom to find out which mods are featured in this story :)  
**

**Hope you all enjoy!**

_Go check out my actual Skyrim story: The Last Snow Elf, featuring many characters of the game as well as two of my OC's! _

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"Where exactly did you say we were headed?" Ulla looked back with shocking blue eyes, a smile gracing her full pink lips as she laughed at her ally.

"Wherever the road takes us, my dear friend!" Erik sighed, though the corners of his mouth were tilted ever so slightly upwards.

"Can we at least wait until tomorrow? I know Rorikstead is boring for you, but perhaps waiting out the night is a good idea?" Ulla stopped suddenly, looking out over the landscape. They had just left the tiny town in favor of traveling to Morthal. In fact, they were still able to see Rorikstead just beyond the hill.

Across the sky laid wonderfully fluffy white clouds, leading to a horizon of orange, pink and yellow. The sun had begun setting.

"If I have to listen to that idiot Jouane talk about how lazy or stupid his daughters are for one more minute, I might cut off his head!" Ulla said, her accent heavy as she turned her angry gaze back to her close friend. He had been her friend since childhood, running around with her and playing 'guards and bandits' from sun up to sun down. Ulla had moved to Whiterun for several years with her father before recently leaving home to become an adventurer, something she'd always dreamed of as a child. She'd heard wonderful stories of Dwarven ruins and ancient treasures, scattered all throughout Tamriel.

She just couldn't keep all of that to herself!

"I shouldn't have agreed to this." Erik said jokingly, sighing and shaking his head. With a short laugh, Ulla reached out and pushed hard against his shoulder, sending him stumbling to the right.

"Hey, you were the one complaining about the boring old farm life, Erik the Slayer," she mocked. Erik finally regained his balance, grinning like a fool.

"You'll pay for that!" Ulla giggled in response before letting out a short scream and running away from his grasp. As Ulla looked back to dodge his near-tackle, she smiled widely. It was almost as if they were kids again.

"Agh!" A yell not too far from them caused Ulla to stop dead in her tracks, her blond hair flying into her face and Erik nearly colliding with her body.

"Erik, quiet!" She whispered, placing a hand on his chest, her demeanor instantly serious. They could hear the sounds of swords clashing and battle cries echoing around the hills. She shared a glance with her dear companion before they both approached warily, choosing to remove themselves from the road and climb a hill instead. Reaching the top, Ulla gasped.

Below them, forty or so soldiers were fighting brutally, swords flying and shields bashing. More still laid on the ground, already dead. Half of the soldiers wore the familiar armor of the empire, while the others wore the new armor of the Stormcloaks.

"Erik, we have to help!" A hand wrapped itself around her arm, stopping her from making any advances on the battle.

"Are you kidding, Ulla? We'll be killed! This isn't our fight." Ulla glared at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

"How can you say that? It is our job to protect our people. We are Nords. We have an obligation to fight for our land!"

"We're not soldiers, Ulla. They're armed to the teeth with steel and leather. We only have our simple iron, and fur! How are we to fight? Ulla!" Ulla had pulled her arm out of Erik's grasp, charging down the hill as he called after her. She entered the battle, her first target taking form of an Imperial attacking a wounded Stormcloak. With a mighty cry she thrust her sword forward, pushing it through his unsuspecting form and pulling it out as he fell to his knees with a cry. Several more unsuspecting soldiers fell to her blade, not expecting a traveler to interrupt their battle. She had been happy to see Erik disrupting an Imperials sword from reaching her, engaging in his own heated battles with her.

It felt like only seconds before the field fell quiet again, and Ulla was left standing next to Erik, sword and armor dripping with Imperial blood. Both Nords breathed heavily, sheathing their swords as the remaining Stormcloaks ran in the direction of the road, leaving Ulla and Erik staring after them with confusion.

"Where are they going?"

"More Imperials?" Erik suggested, shrugging. Driven more by curiosity then impulsive duty, Ulla chased after the soldiers, Erik close behind her. But when they caught up, they were more perplexed then before.

Every single soldier had their faces tilted upward toward the sky, their swords and shields held ready. Ulla stopped next to the nearest soldier, looking up as well to find….

Nothing.

She looked back at Erik, who also was skimming the sky with confusion. Upon meeting her gaze, he shrugged. It was dead silent, and Ulla almost felt awkward as she turned toward the soldier.

"Uhm, what are you all waiting for?" Nothing. Not a single word in response. Not even a look to acknowledge she had spoken. After a moment of silence, she tried again, speaking louder.

"Hello? What are you looking for?" Still not a single reaction.

"Ulla, maybe we should leave." Erik suggested, discomfort in his voice. Looking up, Ulla still found nothing in the sky. The soldiers were stone still, battle ready, and silent as death.

"How…bizarre," she muttered, before sighing. "Okay, Erik…Let's go-"As she moved to take her first step, a body suddenly crashed in front of her. She shouted, scrambling backwards and slamming against Erik's chest. Both adventurers looked up to find Imperials raining from the sky, loose swords and shields flying down as well. Erik quickly held up his shield and huddled close to Ulla as she buried her face in his chest, eyes closed as she prayed to the nine that no stray swords would impale them. Nearly a minute passed when the noise of collision ended, replaced by Stormcloak cheers of victory. Ulla pushed away from Erik enough to turn around and stare at the spectacle, her brow curved upward in confusion.

"Thank you, brother and sister!" Erik and Ulla quickly looked to their right, where a woman dressed in Stormcloak armor approached them. "Your help was appreciated. You should join us! We're based in Windhelm." Erik and Ulla exchanged a glance, their faces frozen in shock and confusion. "If you know any other true sons and daughters of Skyrim, send them to Windhelm, too. Ulfric Stormcloak is looking for soldiers to join in the fight against the Imperial menace." The soldier moved on without waiting for a response, leaving Ulla and Erik to stare forward, frozen and silent. It felt like minutes had passed when Ulla finally was able to snap out of her shock.

"O…kay…" She muttered, looking over at the retreating troops.

"Perhaps we helped the wrong side." Erik joked, though he spoke with a completely serious tone.

"Let's…just…move on." Ulla moved to continue their previous path, still unsure as to whether or not they were headed in the right direction. She heard Erik sigh from behind her.

"Sure we can't head back to Rorikstead for the night?"

"Not a chance, my friend."

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**There we are! Another one-shot! Ah, I love Skyrim glitches. Anyway, let me know how you liked it! Drop a review, I promise I'll read it!**

First Mod featured: Alternate Start: Live Another Life. This is a really fun mod that allows you to choose who you are and where you'll start in the game. A few races have race specific starting locations. For example, as a Nord, I started in Rorikstead with Erik as my follower. As an Altmer, you can start as an agent in the Embassy. It doesn't add any special quests or anything like that, but it certainly does change your view of the game when you start as an entirely different person. I've used this mod since my last playthrough and haven't played as the Dragonborn since.

Second Mod featured: Immersive Patrols. This adds scripted patrols throughout Skyrim from different factions, such as Dawnguard and Vampires and, yes, soldiers. This mod adds some life to regular travel in Skyrim!

_P.S. Let me know if there are any mistakes! Much appreciated!  
_


	3. Marcuro-Bandits

**AN: No special mods in this one! Featuring Marcurio! Enjoy!**

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Ariel took in a deep breath of fresh air, a small smile on her lips. Since leaving Riften, she'd been feeling better. It was like the sun was brighter, the air cleaner, the sky bluer!

The water was certainly cleaner.

Shuffling behind her told her that her companion was ready. Looking over her shoulder, she watched the tall, dark, and handsome Imperial mage exit the tomb behind them.

"Are you ready, Marcurio?" He looked over at her with his small brown eyes before moving them up to scan the sky.

"I don't suppose I'd be able to convince you to stay another hour?" Ariel smirked, turning around and beginning the walk down the stone steps that led to Hillgrund's Tomb. He sighed behind her. "I guess not." They had spent the night clearing the tomb of draugr and eliminating the necromancer inside.

They're Nord 'friend', Golldir, had not made it. And not because of the draugr.

"If you and Golldir hadn't gotten in a fight, I'd be in a more pleasant mood and you'd get another hour of sleep." Judging by the position of the sun, it was barely seven in the morning. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem. But she'd estimate that they had only left the tomb at four in the morning.

"He started it." Marcurio mumbled from behind her, but otherwise remained silent, as did she. It wasn't until they reached the bottom of the steps that sound permeated the soft sounds of nature.

And neither of them had made it.

Looking down the path, Ariel and Marcurio found four bandits rushing them, swords and shields held high. Behind them, Ariel could see a supply carriage surrounded with three bodies and a dead horse. Her heart slammed against her chest and she looked to her left for help, but found her companion missing. She was left no time to search for his location before the bandits were upon her, and she was left with a simply ebony dagger as her only defense. She quickly pulled it from its sheathe, slashing at the first bandit she could.

"Marcurio!" She found herself dodging and ducking, barely able to keep up with all four assailants, who were currently screaming in her face as she slashed at them and ducked under their swords. "_Marcurio!_" Turning, she ran down the path several feet before she faced them, clutching her dagger tightly in her hand and wearing the fiercest battle face she could muster. But that expression fell the moment she found him.

Marcurio was up on the steps they had just climbed down, crouching behind a rock with his eyes closed.

"You useless piece of-…Agh!" Ariel was unable to complete her insult before she was back to ducking and dodging, her footsteps frantic and sloppy. She nearly found herself surrounded, just barely able to slip between two attacking bandits. She was covered with blood, small slices, and dirt. "Son of a…!"She ran back up the path, hoping to join Marcurio on the steps, but as she looked up at him, a mighty burst of lightning flashed over her head. She turned suddenly to look at the bandits with wide eyes as the bandit leader flew off the cliff side, the lightning bolt killing him instantly in his steel armor. Another stronger bolt flew past her, and she could feel the electrical disturbance in the air as it struck the ground between the other three bandits, sending them flying into the air. A second later, one body returned to the ground with bone crushing force, causing Ariel to wince as it obviously did just that, the smell of burning flesh suddenly permeating the air. Looking up, Ariel searching the sky and hill, unable to find the other two bodies.

Marcurio approached her and stood by her side, looking at the body of the bandit. He was covered in a fine sheen of blue from his armor spell, and she could _hear_ the buzzing of strong magic around his body. Her jaw was slack, eyes wide as he looked over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" She opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it, shaking her head instead as she turned and began walking away. "Ariel?" She continued walking as he stared after her, still shaking her head. "But, don't you want to loot them? Ariel?"

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**Don't forget to leave a review, let me know how you liked it! Thanks for reading!**

Go check out my Skyrim story, The Last Snow Elf, where Ariel is the main OC!

_P.S. Let me know if there are any mistakes! Much appreciated!  
_


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